Prayers for James Peter Richardson, 59, of Bartlett will be held Friday 9:00a.m. at the Countryside Funeral Home 950 South Bartlett Rd. (at Stearns Rd.) Bartlett to St. Mary Catholic Church in Elgin. Mass 10:00a.m. Interment St. Michael.

Visitation will be held at the funeral home Thursday 3:00 – 9:00p.m.

James Is the beloved daddy of Erin (David) Figueiredo of Bartlett and Janet (Michael) Panek of Pewaukee, WI; Proud grandfather of Corinne, David James, Madison and Emma Figueiredo and Robert and Trinity Panek; Cherished son of Shirley Cozza and the late Eugene Richardson;stepson of the late Dominick Cozza; dear brother of 6 brothers and sisters and 4 step siblings.

In lieu of flowers, donations made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation 1332 N. Halsted Ste 201 Chicago 60642 would be appreciated. (630) 289-7575 or countrysidefuneralhomes.com.

Three to Six year olds can learn the game and the skill needs to play regular baseball with the Bartlett Park District All Star T-Ball. Imagine the excitement of the first baseball glove, actually catching a ball. Kids can’t wait until the next “practice” and they will keep asking you “How many more days until the next T-Ball?” I take my grandson and show him a claendar so we can count the days off. I watched a dedicated group of instructors work with these young kids to teach the first days lessons.

The thrill of running from base to base as the wind blows your hair, looking to see who can get there first. It must be exhilarating to make those great strides to the next base. What a great way to spend a late afternoon in Bartlett.

David Petersons played for donations at the Farmers Market close to downtown Bartlett while others strolled through looking for those special things on a beautiful sunny Friday. David has been playing for 14 years and goes to Wheaton College, where he will major in music education. The donations? They go to defray the cost of his education.

The Farmers Market is open on Fridays from 2pm to 6pm. I enjoyed my walk up and down the strip, however I only saw one booth that catered to what I would call Farmers items, tomatoes, corn and the like. The rest were items that people made or sold from their small businesses. Either way it was a fun to walk in the warmth of the sun and look around. Parking is provided by the Village Hall across the street.

The summer solstice occurs this June 21st. It is here so fast amidst all of this rain and cold. Seems like we could never get rid of the winter and now the cold wet spring will not go away.

The bright spot is the 4th of July is on its way. The carnival, parade, fireworks. Let’s get to planning. The best place to start is the Fourth of July committee’s web site. It has many of the activities lined out along with times and places. I have already invited friends and we have staked out our spot on the lawn and decided which day to take the kids to the carnival.

This committee does an outstanding job every year and deserves many Thank You for all of their hard work. Many of our surrounding communities have cancelled their festivals but our friends and neighbors have found a way to keep ours alive.

Why do many of us have this day off from work, school? What is the purpose of this day? Memorial Day is a Federal Holiday to remember the US citizens in military service who died while protecting our freedoms. My father did not die during WWII but I recall glimpses of conversation whereas they were on a small ship called an LSM stationed in the South Pacific . When a powerful storm came and these young men with my father fought to keeps their ship afloat and to stay alive. The rain and wind was fierce as they kept one eye on keeping the ship afloat and one eye on their fellow servicemen. They formed some kind of human chain to keep each other from being swept overboard. In the end, the ship went down. The ship was refloated and used again and then retired in 1946. What kind of young men were these that protected our country? What kind of men are protecting us today. How many of them live in Bartlett. How many are our neighbors. We should take a few moments and ponder this. Then if you feel so inclined go to the Bartlett Veterans Memorial Page and make a donation for our own memorial. Every dollar counts, five, ten or any other amount. Have a great Holiday and enjoy your family.

Tuesday Night May 19,2009 Mike Kelly was sworn in as Village President. His oldest Daughter Molli held the bible as Mike recited the Oath of Office. Mike was surrounded by his family and a full capacity crowd at the Village Hall. Cameras snapped from both journalists and supporters. It was nice to see a community come together.

Kelly thanked supporters and all the people of Bartlett for their faith in him. A short reception was held in the multi purpose room after the swearing in.